![France readies 'exceptional' rescue of beluga astray in Seine](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/96/99/a4/France-readies--exceptional--rescue-044146.jpg)
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
Concern grows as Venezuela blocks election observers
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Blinken, in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
Stocks rise as US inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
Norris hoping for more after topping Belgian practice times
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Harris gets vital Obama backing in battle against Trump
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Stocks rise as inflation data boosts rate cut hopes
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
-
Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
-
Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
-
Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
-
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
![France readies 'exceptional' rescue of beluga astray in Seine](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/96/99/a4/France-readies--exceptional--rescue-044146.jpg)
France readies 'exceptional' rescue of beluga astray in Seine
French officials are moving ahead with a delicate plan to transport a beluga whale back to the ocean after it swam far up the Seine river toward Paris, putting its life in danger, a marine expert said Tuesday.
The four-metre (13-foot) cetacean was discovered a week ago and appears sick and underweight but its condition is "satisfactory," Isabelle Brasseur of the Marineland sea animal park in southern France, Europe's biggest, told AFP.
"As of this morning we have an idea of something that could work, we're going to explain and refine it with the people who are going to help us," she said.
Belugas are a protected species that cannot survive long in fresh water.
This one is currently around 130 kilometres (80 miles) inland from the English Channel at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne in Normandy.
"What's exceptional is that here the banks of the Seine are not accessible for vehicles... everything is going to have to be done by hand," Brasseur said.
It is stuck behind a lock and unable to move further inland -- it's now some 80 kilometres from the French capital -- but is not turning around, and officials warn that attempts to "nudge" the beluga back toward the sea are not viable.
The idea is to take the beluga by road to an undisclosed seawater basin where it can be treated before being released.
But the challenges are considerable and the journey is likely to further stress an animal weighing 800 kilogrammes (nearly 1,800 pounds).
The Sea Shepherd France NGO, which is assisting the operation, said in a statement Tuesday that tranquilisation was not an option, since belugas are so-called "voluntary breathers" that need to be awake to inhale air.
- Appeal for donations -
"In any case, we have to get it out of there... and try to figure out what is wrong," Brasseur said.
Veterinarians will keep constant surveillance during the move.
"There may be internal problems that we can't see," she said despite the fact that belugas are "extremely hardy" as a species.
Sea Shepherd has issued an appeal for donations of heavy-duty ropes, nets, mattresses and other equipment.
According to France's Pelagis Observatory, specialised in sea mammals, the nearest beluga population is off the Svalbard archipelago, north of Norway, 3,000 kilometres from the Seine.
J.Fankhauser--BTB